Methods Of Mining Gold In Africa | Importance And Problems

Hello, welcome to this blog on the mining of Gold in Africa for ss3 class, areas, methods and Importance

1. Mining of gold
2. Methods of mining gold
3. Transportation and marketing of gold
4. Economic Importance of gold
5. Problems Of mining gold
6. Revision Questions

Mining Of Gold

Africa leads the whole world in the production of gold. South Africa is the largest producer of gold in Africa, followed by Ghana, Zimbabwe and Zaire. Gold is a valuable metallic mineral.

Major Mining Areas

• Witwatersrand near Johannesburg in South Africa.
• Klerksdorp and Welkom in South Africa.
• Dunkua and Tarkwa in Ghana.
• Gatoama and Gwanda in Zimbabwe.

Methods Of Mining Gold

The method of mining gold is the underground or shaft method. In this method, vertical shafts or holes are dug to reach the Ore bearing rocks from where holes are drilled. Explosive are used to fill the holes to shatter the rocks by blasting. The broken rocks are then taken to the surface from where they are taking to the concentrator that filter out the gold which is later sent to the smelter for further refining.

Transportation And Marketing In South Africa

Gold is mainly transported by rail and road to processing factory or to Port Elizabeth or East London for export. Major market for gold includes America, Britain and Japan.

Economic Importance Of Gold

1. Employment: The mining of this mineral provide job for many people.
2. Revenue generation: Taxes paid by mining companies including export and import duties on the mineral are sources of revenue to the government.
3. Foreign exchange earning: The export of mineral like gold serves as foreign exchange for the country.
4. Provision of jewelry: Essential goods or products are derived from mineral, e.g. necklace, wristwatch, medals, rings and bracelets.
5. Raw materials for Industries: Gold provides raw materials for Industries.
6. Improvement in standard of living: Money earned from gold is used to provide social and basic amenities which improve the standard of living of the people.
7. Acquisition of skills: The presence and extraction of this mineral enable people to acquire different skills.
8. Infrastructural development: The presence of gold in an area leads to the development of infrastructure like roads, electricity, telephone and pipe-borne water in such area.
9. Growth of towns: Towns like Johannesburg in South Africa and Tarkwa in Ghana have grown due to the presence of gold.
10. Production of geological maps: The exploration of minerals in the country has led to the production of certain geological maps.
11. Generation of income to workers: The exploitation of gold also provides income to workers or individuals.
12. Attraction of foreign investors: The presence and exploitation of gold in any country generally lead to the attraction of foreign investors to that country.

Problems Of Mining Gold

1. Inadequate capital to exploit the minerals.
2. Poor transport network.
3. Outdated topographical maps are used.
4. Lack of or inadequate trained personnel in mining and exploitation of minerals.
5. Difficult terrain increases operational costs.
6. Fluctuations in world prices of minerals.
7. There is the problem of constant conflict with the local people and the prospective companies.
8. Environmental pollution.
9. High rate of sabotage by unpatriotic people in the mining area.
10. Poor management.

Revision Questions

1. Outline four major mining areas of gold in Africa.
2. Briefly explain the methods of mining gold in Africa.
3. State six economic importance of gold.
4. Which country is the largest producer of gold in in the world and in Africa?